Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire
by Neko-Koorime
Summary: When Rai Kazemaru accepts an invitation to a fencing tournament, unwillingly, she changes her future. She meets new people, and one she'd thought she'd never see again. Can she bring herself to control these strange new emotions? HieixOC
1. Intro

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Intro**

Your name is Rai Kazemaru. Your mom's name was Sori, and you never knew your fathers name. He died when you were five. Your were born and raised in a village named Mizuho. Your mother is a Sky demon (Wind, Lightning, Water) and you don't know much about your father, but you really miss him…a lot. Anyway, your village is renowned for it's skill with the sword. Surprisingly, you learned quickly, and are at the Jounin Ninja level at the age of 14- a feat never accomplished before. (Jounin is the second highest rating, second only to Kage.) You would do anything to make your mother happy, and care about her more then anything in the world. Your best friends name is Hotaru Takura, and has long red hair, big gold eyes, and small red fox ears. You have sky blue/teal hair, like your moms, with a lock of hair that are silver, which you usually wear in a high ponytail and eyes that are an icy- gray sapphire. In the village they call you Sheika. You prefer twin katanas, and sais, and the bow. You are short...

You are returning home from a long day of training and teaching, when suddenly you hear a voice calling your name

"Rai!"

It was Hotaru. You groan. If she was this happy, you weren't going to like it. She catches up to you.

"Guess what!"

You sigh.

"Takashi asked you out on a date?"

She frowns,

"No, but there is a huge tournament being held in the Prince's Citadel."

She looks up at you hopefully.

"No. You know how much I hate tournaments…"

She steps in front of you.

" They asked for a representative from our village…"

"Send Yokumo, He'll do."

You answer.

"But the Elders have requested you!"

You sigh and stare at her.

"Tell you what." She says quickly. "If you beat me at a foot race, I'll leave you alone, and we'll send Yokumo. If I win, you go."

You agree. And the race starts. You run as fast as you can, but she beats you, by like a second. You stand there leaning on your knees.

"Fine…" You huff "I'll…. go…. but your coming with me…"


	2. Arrival and Lectures

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Arrival and Lectures**

I can't believe I agreed to this…

The place was crowded with thousands of people who were hoping to see someone's head get chopped off, and were willing to pay any price to see it. You could see betting pools being placed, and then you walk out of the stable, leaving Mizu, your horse, and Hotaru in the stable.

"Hey wait for me! "

Hotaru yells, running after you. You sigh and stop. She catches up, out of breath. "You walk…fast…for a…-"

"Don't say it!"

You say starting to walk again.

" What? I was going to say for a Sky Demon!"

"Hn…."

You say still walking. She sighs and rushes to catch up. You push through the crowd to the sign up place.

" I'm the representative from the village of Mizuho."

A hush falls over the crowd. Hotaru looks around nervously.

"It doesn't look like they believe us…." You are ignoring everyone else but the ogre who is simply staring.

"You? You are a girl. There is no way that you would be the representative that they would send. "

He laughs.

"Really?" You answer, in a terrifyingly level voice. "Would you like to see my skill, and then perhaps you'll believe me. "

He gets scared. "N-n-n-no…Of course n-n-n-n-not…what's your name, m-m-m-m-mama" He manages to stutter out.

"That's better…the name is Rai Kazemaru."

He hastily writes it down and then hands you a key. "Your r-r-r-room is right of the training ground, as requested."

"Hn…" You storm off.

"Thank you, mister!" Hotaru says before running off to follow you. The ogre recovers and picks up the phone. "Get me a direct line to Koenma. The Representative he asked for from Mizuho has arrived."

You arrive at the room, and Hotaru is giving you a lecture. "How dare you be so mean to that poor ogre! He was so scared he turned blue!"

"Uh Hotaru…I think his skin was naturally blue…"

"Oh…Well still, you were very rude and- "

"Hotaru give it a rest! I had to, or he wouldn't have believed us! And besides! I use that tone with you all the time…"

"Yes, but these people don't know you like I do." She points out.

"Hn."

She shakes her head and lies down on her bed. "You have to work on your social skills, Rai…" She says before dozing off.

And she says I am the one who takes constant catnaps… You lean out the window and begin wondering what your dad was like. What blood did you inherit from him? Sore refuses to tell you whenever you ask. You sigh. You'd probably never find out. You realize that you are kinda tired and lay down, you are asleep in minutes.

In the Prince's office "Remember I told you I was holding this tournament to

find you guys a new teammate?" Says Koenma, Prince of the Spirit world. The 4 boys in front of him nod. " Two things, First off, Hiei will be the final opponent for the person who makes it that far, and second, there is one particular participant that I would like to see make it to the finals. The representative from Mizuho. The elders sent me a notice saying that the person they sent may be tempted to drop out, as they didn't want to come in the first place. So your job is to make it so they want to make it to the finals. Understand?" The boys nod again.

"Good, now she-"

"Whoa! Koenma, back up! A girl?"

"Yes, Yusuke, a girl. I've been going over her credentials in my database, and it seems that she is more qualified for this job then you are."

" I don't think that a girl can handle what we go up against."

"This one might. She scared the crap out of George in one sentence. I'm the only person he's ever been scared of, with the exception of Hiei."

"Hn." "We'll see what this girl can do. I was a little surprised myself, but when I found out she was Sore's daughter, I looked up everything I could find on her. Now…Here is all the info we have on her…"


	3. Blackmail

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Blackmail**

Next morning You wake up to bright sunlight streaming in your face. You groan. You hate sunlight. You stand up, and take a shower. You put on:

A training outfit. Going to go log some hours before the preliminaries!

A kimono, sky blue. Going to visit an aunt that Sori mentioned worked in the Citadel

Tank top and a pair of jeans. Going to go train a bit.

Lets say you pick one or three (You'll meet your aunt soon enough) You realize you can't train alone very well so you walk over to Hotaru's bed. You shake her gently. "Hotaru wake up…" Deaf to the world, she is You think. You pause then mutter "Mizu shapu" (water splash) A stream of water shoots out of your hand and hits her right in the face. She's not very happy with me…but she's awake!

"What the heck did you do that for, Rai!"

You shrug.

"You needed to wake up…this was the only way I could think of to wake you up…"

She glares at you. "I think you could have thought of another way."

You smirk. "Why? This way is much funner…"

She slaps you upside the head.

"Ow!" You say, rubbing the back of your head. "That hurt…." She harrumphs and goes to take a shower. "Be sure to dress appropriately, were training!" You yell after her. You brush out your hair, and pull it up in its normal ponytail. Hotaru comes out dressed in the same thing as you, and you both head out toward the training field. When you get there you see that there were already a few people there, 4 to be exact. " Whatever…" You lead Hotaru over to a part of the field far enough away that no one should be able to pinpoint your fighting style.

The 4 guys stare after her as she passes them to the other side of the field. "Is that her?"

"I don't know."

"Let's go over the list Koenma gave us…"

"Blue hair, silver streaks"

"Check. Looks a lot like Butanes hair actually…"

" Fox demon friend?"

"Check."

"Red hair, and ears?"

"The girl, or her friend?"

"The friend."

"Check."

"Okay the rest of it is dispositional, so we'll have to introduce ourselves before we can check it off."

"Do we have to? She doesn't look like she'd take very kindly to an interruption right now…"

They glance over at her and her friend, training, and stare.

"Wow…"

"Don't hold back, Hotaru!" You yell, as she gets ready.

"Why would I do that? After your little attack this morning, I'm out for revenge…" She smirks. You smirk back.

" Are you using claws or katana?" You ask her. She thinks for a bit.

"Claws. To start."

You nod, and unsheathe your sais. She lunges forward. You dash out of the way. It becomes a match of reaction times. You are winning. You trap both her hands in one sai, and hold the other one to her neck.

" I win. "

She acknowledges this with a nod, and you let her go. She switches quickly to a katana and jumps at you. You jump like 5 feet in the air, and yell.

" Katas!"

You glide down as Hotaru recovers from her attack and prepares to strike again. You trade blows with each other for a while and then you have her blade caught between your two. You flip it out of her hand, and then trip, so you both end up on the ground.

"Draw!"

You both say at the same time. She giggles and chuckle softly.

"Come on. Now I have to take a nap before I actually fight…" You say as you stand up and dust yourself off. She nods and follows you back toward the room. As you are just about to cross the threshold, someone calls out. You both turn around. The 4 guys you had seen training earlier were coming your way. "Hotaru, if we go into the room now, we can act like we didn't hear them." You start into the room, but Hotaru grabs your arm. You wince. You hate meeting new people, and most of the time new people hate meeting you. Them

"I don't think it's too late, we can still turn away and act like we didn't call them."

"No, Hiei"

"But- "

"We know you don't like meeting new people, but you can just stay quiet. Your good at that!"

"Hn."

Back to you

"It still not too late…"

"Zip it, Rai! We are going to be polite…"

"Can we be polite from a distance?"

"No…"

" Hn."

The two groups meet. "Hi!" Hotaru says cheerily. "Hn." You say. She elbows you. "Be nice, Rai!"

"What if I don't want to be? Ow!" She had slapped you upside the head, again. "Hello…" You mumble.

The 4 of them stare at you. There was a really tall orange-haired human, who looked like he had an IQ of, like, 30, and another human who had gelled back dark hair, and brown eyes, a demon with long red hair and green eyes, who had a familiar smell, and then there was one that was about the same size as you, slightly taller. He had tall black hair, with a starburst of white.

He was wearing a white headband, and had crimson eyes that seemed to burn with their own fire. He tries to avoid eye contact, but your eyes meet anyway. Then you feel like someone is trying to enter your thoughts. Not likely… You picture a puzzle lock (which looks like a rubix cube) and your thoughts are locked against the outside. You smirk at him. Everyone else is very confused. What was so funny? The short one is fuming

You just cross your arms and continue smirking. Hotaru rolls her eyes.

" Ignore her; she's in a bad mood today. Anyway, I'm Hotaru Takura, and this is Rai Kazemaru. We're here for the tournament."

As they go through the pleasantries, you continue smirking at the one about your size. He has stopped fuming and is now just glaring at you. You are about to send a telepathic message when Hotaru says

"Right, Rai?"

You start. "I'm sorry, what? I wasn't listening…"

She slaps you upside the head.

"Ow…" You rub your head. The short one starts smirking. You give him a death glare. This goes on for a while until the red-haired demon asks him

"Right, Hiei?"

The short one looks startled.

"What?" He asks.

The redhead slaps him upside the head. You go back to smirking. He rubs his head. Then he sends you a death glare that would rival your own. Hotaru rolls her eyes. "Anyway, we better go inside before the short ones start a fight."

He nods.

"We'd better go, too. Till we meet again." Hotaru nods.

They walk off. She stares after them. You roll your eyes and pull her into the room. She collapses on the bed. "OMG He is so cute!"

"Who?" You ask.

"Kurama, of course!"

You assume she means the redhead." Whatever you say…"

She giggles. "Oh come on, I could tell you were so flirting with the short one!" You blush…a little, it's not even visible. "I don't flirt." You say, coldly. More giggles. "Whatever you say, Rai!" You roll your eyes.

"Stay here. I'm going to go get us some food. Your Hypoglycemia is kicking in." Mine is too… She giggles, and says " Whatever..." You shake your head and walk out. You weave through the crowds, looking for a place to buy food. You see Hiei, alone surprisingly. You try to skirt around him, but he catches you and pushes you into an alley. You almost fall, but catch your balance just in time. "What the- " He puts a hand over your mouth.

" Just shut up and listen. My friends are over at your place. If you don't comply, I'll tell them to-OWWW!"

You bite his hand. He let's go and you run toward the end of the alley. A wall of fire rises up in front of you. You back up. You hate fire. He puts a hand on your shoulder. You try to break away, but his grip is solid.

" Enough games." He whispers in your ear. "Hotaru is our prisoner. If you want to see her safe, then you'd better make it to the finals. Am I clear?" You turn around to face him, and glare.

"Crystal."

"Good." He lowers the wall of fire and disappears into the crowd. You follow cautiously.


	4. Preliminaries

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Preliminaries**

You eventually take a nap. You wake up to a blaring horn. Then an intercom system starts up and says "Will contestants 1- 14 please report to the arena for the Preliminary Tournament." You mumble under your breath, as you get ready. While you are waiting in line, someone bumps into you. "Watch it- JIN!" He hugs you. " Hey, Sheila, It's been a while!"

" It's Sheika."

He shrugs. "Whatever, Rai."

" I didn't know you fenced."

He shrugs again. "It's a hobby."

You stare at him. His hair was the same bright red, and he still had the little horn in the middle of his forehead, and his eyes were still that blue color, and he was still as hyper as ever…

"Anyway, maybe after the Preliminaries we can chat."

He nods.

And the preliminaries begin. You were #13 so you went against #14, who was a beginner, and a wimp. After you disarmed him, he begged for mercy. You were very confused. You cocked your head and said: " What the heck do you take me for? I would never take an innocent life! And besides, you are embarrassed enough to have lost to a girl." He nods and runs of the arena. You pick up his sword and hand it to a judge. Then you go to meet Jin at the sweet snow place. He was there already, with about a dozen empty bowls next to him.

" Had a lot of sweet snow? " You ask as you sit next to him. He nods. You shake your head and order a bowl for yourself. Six bowls later Jin is walking you back to your room when he asks.

"Where's Hotaru? You never go anywhere without her." Your face darkens a little.

"She's…around…" He nods.

Hiei's POV

Hn. She fights well, for a girl. He was watching the fight from a perch way up high. Her hair stood out even from above. When she had bit him in the alley, he had been pissed. He glances down at the bite mark. It wasn't swollen, but it was a pale shade of blue. And strangely, it didn't hurt. She was leaving. He jumps across the rooftops, following closely. She meets Jin at a sweet snow place. What the heck is she doing with Jin? He feels a little hot, but listens carefully. It seemed they were just talking. Then they start walking. He keeps following them. They stop and take a seat on a bench. Then Jin whispers something in her ear and she slaps him- hard.

Ooo…that's got to hurt.

She looks kinda angry, and then storms off to her room. He stops following her and heads back to the place where he is meeting the rest of the gang. Why did I get mad when she was with him?


	5. Semis, Finals, and More Tricks

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Semis, Finals, More Tricks**

You were pissed at Jin, and so glad you didn't have to fight him in the Semis, or the finals. After the following batches of preliminaries, it was shortened down to 16 people, and the Semis would shorten it down to 8, and then to 4, and the Finals would finally narrow it down to 2, who would duke it out to go to the Finale match against some unknown personage. However, after the Semis, you would drop out, so you really didn't care. You dispatched your opponents easily. They both favored their left side, so you struck there. They were down in seconds. On your way back to your room someone pushes you into the same alley as before. This time you lean against the wall and say haughtily, "I did what you asked. Now where is Hotaru! "

" You did well…for a girl. But I'm afraid you'll have to keep going."

You were shocked. "Oh really, and why would that be? I made it to the Finals. You said that-"

"That if you wanted to SEE her safe again. I believe that those were my exact words." He intervenes. You give him a death glare.

" So what are the terms of her RELEASE. " You ask. He smirks,

"Simple. You make it to the Finale." You think carefully, not going to let yourself be caught in his web of words this time.

"If I don't make it, if I fail the Finale, she is still let go." He thinks about that. "Fine. But you will have to pay for that compromise later." He then disappears. You growl and go back to your room

The person you were up against in the Finals was known as the "Killer" and his sword was called Bloodbane. Everyone was hoping he would die, because he was an ex- serial killer, and had only escaped the death penalty because of a certain deal with the judge. Lucky me you think to yourself. Everyone will expect me to kill him… You didn't really like killing, but weren't afraid to do it. You grab your stuff and head for the arena. Your opponent was there, polishing his blade with what looked horribly like human blood. Your stomach gets a little queasy as you take your starting position. He smirks and stands up. He was the only thing between you and Hotaru being free. And he was a mountain. 10 feet tall and about that ugly compared to the orange haired human. He looks about as intelligent also He laughs when he sees the puny girl in front of him. The ref blows his whistle, and the fight begins. During the first few minutes you study him carefully. He definitely had strength, but lacked in speed. You however had this in plenty (Hotaru was better, but still…) He suddenly lunges at you. You hurriedly block, and parry. Then he attacks again. You barely dodge it. Then he cuts your side. You wince and glance down. Instead of healing automatically, it didn't even begin to. Then you realize that the human blood on the blade was keeping your demon blood from reaching the wound, so it couldn't heal. There also seemed to be some sort of poison in it that made the wound keep getting bigger. He was looming over you, ready to deal a finishing blow, when you realized it has either him or you. With great effort you raise your katanas, and cut off his head. He instantly incinerates, leaving only his sword behind. You pick it up, and turn to the audience. With deep breaths, you manage to say. " This blade has killed many…and now it will never kill anyone again." You lodge the blade in the ground and mutter under your breath. "Rai Tsuku (Lightning Strike) " A bolt of lightning incinerates the sword on the spot. The crowd cheers and you smile weakly, as you head toward your room, carefully avoiding the alley. I don't feel like having another encounter with Hiei right now. You ignore the medics swarming around you, and shut yourself in your room, and begin wiping the human blood off so that you could heal.

Above after the fight

Impressive… He thinks as he watches her struggle to her feet and raise the guys blade. Despite her condition, she said clearly to the crowd. . " This blade has killed many…and now it will never kill again." She lodges the blade in the ground, and then a bolt of lightning incinerates it. He was impressed. When she leaves the arena, he follows her, duly noting that she ignores the medics. She was avoiding the alley. When he had pushed her in to the alley a second time, he was very cautious, and he didn't touch her, other then to push her into the alley in the first place. She had reached her room and had entered. Instead of leaving like he always did, he peeked in the window. She was carefully wiping the red blood off her own, which was an icy teal color. He then he runs off.


	6. Tournament Finale and the New Deal

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Tournament Finale and the New Deal**

You sleep until noon, recovering from the damage. You finally get up and get a cup of cocoa, with a little bit of cinnamon in it, and an herb you grow in your yard. It heightens the senses, improves brain flow, and ensures peak fighting condition. It also had a pleasant taste, like wintergreen, giving a minty flavor to the drink. You finish your cup, and grab your weapons.

I don't want to do this…But hey! At least I don't have to win…

You arrive at the arena, and try to ignore the cheering crowd. You push your way through the crowd and in the entrance. You see the two humans and the redheaded demon. Hotaru was with them. You rush over.

"I fulfilled your requirements. Now let her go!" You say coldly.

The redhead glares at the two humans who had started laughing, then back at you. "I'm sorry but-"

" Will Miss Kazemaru please report to the arena- Hey what are you doing! Get away from there! Hey-"

The lady who had been announcing was pushed off, and a voice that was getting more and more familiar came on.

"Shut it, Juri! Rai, I know you can hear me; here are the terms of your compromise- you fight in the Finale. If you win, both you and Hotaru are free to go. If you lose, Hotaru goes, but you stay, under my control. What is your answer?"

You look around, trying to locate where he is. You find the booth and make a rather rude gesture?

"…. I'll take that as a yes…Here Juri, you can have your mike back "

"Eek! Uh, thanks. Anyway, Miss Kazemaru…yeah, the arena is waiting, and the challenger is getting restless. Please come before he decides to hurt me."

You were fuming but walk onto the court anyway. And lo and behold, who is it?

**Hiei. **

The person who you really wanted to shred to pieces right now. You glare at him and take off your cloak, something you hadn't done in any of the previous battles. It was a form of respect among ninjas. You had never given it to anyone but your Kage before. He seemed to notice because he took of his too. You tried to concentrate on his face, and not let your eyes wander. (Keyword: tried) You pulled out your katanas, and he pulled out his. Your eyes lock. Then he is right next to you. You hastily block his attack. He pulls back and then dashes around for another attack. You dodge it and try to slash him. He blocks and then slashes your side where Killer had hit yesterday. You wince, but retaliate with two strikes on his side. He seems a little shocked that you managed to hit him, but then he simply smirks and disappears.

Where did he go?

A pain up your back told you the answer. You fall to your knees. You swirl around, and come face to face with a dragon of darkness and flame. You flinch and form an ice shield. While all your efforts concentrated on the shield, you didn't notice when he snuck up behind you and held his katana to your neck. "Relax, it's just an illusion"

He whispers in your ear. "Your temper has clouded your mind, and you have lost all common sense."

You growl and then realize that you had lost. You drop your katanas, and slowly stand up.

"You win."

He smirks.

" I believe you'll uphold our bargain."

You nod. He leads you off the arena and into a separate room, where Hotaru and the others are waiting.

" You can let her go now, Kurama." Hiei says to him. Hotaru runs up and hugs you.

"I'll tell Sori…" You nod, face emotionless. She stares, and then runs off. You watch her go, then turn glaring back to the Hiei. He shrugs it off.

"Come on…we better go take her to see Koenma."


	7. New Home

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei New Home**

You followed them silently, hood up.

I can't believe I lost…

You reach a pair of big white doors. They creak open, and you follow the boys inside. They take a seat in 4 of the 5 chairs. You?

The big maroon chair swivels around to reveal a---- Baby?

I wouldn't mock if I were you. Hiei comments.

Grrr… Then you put your lock up.

He looks annoyed then turns his attention back to the baby. The baby looks directly at you. " Ah, you must be Rai, Sori's daughter."

You start.

"How do you know my mother?" You ask coldly.

The baby chuckles. "Your mother and I are good friends. Distant cousins, actually. I am Koenma, Prince of the Spirit World." You almost laugh, but then remember that Mom always said things are not always as they appear. Instead you just nod. "As I understand, you won the tournament, meaning-"

"No, I didn't."

"Excuse me?"

"No, I didn't, I lost to the fire demon."

You were still pissed and didn't even want to say his name. Hiei glares at you but says nothing. Koenma smiles.

"Ah, yes. Well the purpose was to find the best swordsman who didn't already work for me. That would be you." You perk up.

"So technically I won…So that deal he made with me is void, right?"

Koenma smile fades.

"No. I'm afraid any deal you made is perfectly valid."

You curse.

He shrugs it off. "However, I would like to offer you a position on Team Urameshi."

You glare at him. "No." You say coldly.

"Why not?"

You continue glaring.

" A better question would be why should I? I feel no loyalty to you, or to anyone. I have no desire to take orders. My answer is no."

You turn to walk out, but a certain fire demon grabs your cloak.

" I believe that you and I had an agreement, and I suggest that you change your mind before I actually invoke the contract."

You glare at him then answer to Koenma, "Fine."

The other guys all have different reactions…

Human boy with dark gelled back hair and brown eyes- Dang it! I don't want a girl on the team…She'll gets in the way…

:Goofy smile: Welcome to the team, I'm Yusuke Urameshi.

Human boy with orange hair- She's kinda cute…crap I have to stop thinking things like that!

:Goofier smile: Hi! I'm Kazuma Kuwabara

(Redhead) Kurama- I wonder if she can get Hotaru to stay here too

Somewhere else in his mind- So she will stay…good, maybe I can get her to remember me…

:nod: I hope you will find it comfortable here.

Hiei- Why didn't I just let her go? Hn… :goes back to his seat:

Koenma- That was close. I almost thought she was going to leave. Good. Now Yusuke, will you please show her around? I'd have Botan do it, but she's out on an errand right now…

Yusuke nods and walks out. He shows you where the cafeteria is, and the hallway map. By the end of the day you know where everything is.

Then Yusuke takes you to the area of the complex that he shares with the guys. Hiei meets you at the door.

"Hn. I'll take over from here."

Yusuke starts to protest, but instead clamps his mouth shut and leaves you there.

Great...


	8. Reunion

Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Reunion 

Hiei glances at you, then takes off. You follow reluctantly. He leads you up a flight of stairs, and to the end of the hallway. He pushes open the dark wood door and-

DREAM ROOM

Deep violet walls, black carpet, a beanbag chair, a weapons rack (currently empty), and a canopied bed, with black curtains, silver ties, over a dark purple, almost black, silk bedding. The window curtains were black, with silver ones over them. The only source of light was the silver glow of a globe that rested on the bedside table, which was ebony. A lightning orb. This was a clear, spun-glass orb, which allowed you to practice and enhance your powers. It had the diameter of a dinner plate, and had live lightning running through it. It was something you had invented. Only 3 people knew about them, and how to make them. Hotaru, you, and- No…he was dead…This one had silver lightning, just like the ones that he had made. You go over to examine it. You roll over it with your hands.

This is definitely his workmanship; it has the rose on the bottom. How did they get a hold of this? You place the orb back on it's stand, and turn to face Hiei, but he was gone. You poke your head out of the door, but he's nowhere in sight.

"Hn."

You are surprised to find him in your room, sitting on the bed, when you turn around. You jump. He chuckles.

"I brought your stuff."

"How?" You ask. Someone behind you clears their throat. You swerve around and it is-

" MOM!"

You run up to her and she hugs you.

"Hello, Rai. How are things going? Do you like your new job?"

You frown. "I haven't really done anything yet…"

She chuckles.

"No, I guess not. Have you met your aunt yet?"

"No."

" Oh. I guess she's been busy. Anyway, I have some good news!"

You perk up. "You're getting me out of here?"

She shakes her head. "No. But I am moving into the Princes Citadel. I'll be in the royal suite, in my old room. "

"Oh."

You really had hoped she'd figured out a way to get you out of here. Instead it seemed she WANTED you to stay in this job. She looks around the room.

"It smells like your room at home…"

You sniff, and then realize that it does. The scent of lavender and roses in the morning, with that minty edge, that hint of darkness, the icy touch of winter, the scent that has forever meant you.

Alright, now that's creepy is really creeped out

Your Mom keeps talking, and you notice the Hiei quietly sneaks out, but are too busy thinking to care. Someone was trying to tell you something. And you were going to have to find out before it drove you crazy.


	9. Get out of my tree

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei "Get out of my tree."**

After your Mom leaves, you turn your attention back to the room. I'm going to have another look at that globe. You turn it over in your hands.

Strange there seem to be markings on the bottom. You take a closer look.

"371…Hmm…what does that mean? "

Suddenly a knock at the door disturbs your thoughts. You jump.

"Who is it?" You ask.

"Rai, It's your Mother, open the door!" It sounds like she has a cold or something.

You cringe, and head toward the door. When you open it you see that it wasn't your mother at all, but Yusuke, who was keeled over laughing.

After you slam the door, there is another knock. You open the door. It's Yusuke again. You start to slam the door, but he puts his foot between the door and the frame.

"Sorry about that, but dinner is ready."

You stare at him, perfectly emotionless. He gets a little freaked out and leaves. You sigh and pull the hood of your cloak up, and head toward the cafeteria.

There were groups of chattering demons, all eating what looked like roast beef, mashed potatoes and rolls. The smell was actually appealing. You stand in line for your food then head outside, ignoring Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama when they try to get your attention. You find the perfect tree.

It was tall; probably about 35 feet, and you could see the branches were thick enough to hold your weight. You jump to the lowest branch, careful not to spill your food. Then you push your food up onto the next branch, then climb up after it. You do this until you are about 15 to 20 feet up. Then you settle down on a branch. You begin eating. It tasted as good as it smelled. You stop. You get the feeling someone's watching you. You look down.

It's Hiei. His crimson eyes are like embers in the darkness, hard to miss.

When he realizes you know he's there, he jumps up so you two are on the same branch.

You try to ignore the strange feeling in your stomach as you smirk and say,

"Stalk often?"

"Hn. Get out of my tree."

" First off, it's not your tree, second, I was here first, and third, I think I'll just move to a different branch." You jump onto the branch above his head, about a foot or two up, leaning on the tree trunk, just like you had before. He scowls and leans against the tree trunk, his eyes closed.

Oops…left my food on the other branch.

Not wanting to bother him, you reach down. You felt where it was but couldn't quite get it. You were about to give up when he suddenly picks it up, eyes still closed, and hands you your plate.

Um…Why...what?

A thank you would be nice…

His voice rings through your head. You hurriedly put up your lock, but he comes right back.

I figured out how to open it. He smirks.

Hn. Not for long. You change the code on the lock and he's kicked out again. 5 minutes later, he's back in your head.

That was easier than last time….

Get out of my head…

After I worked so hard to get here?

You lock it again, using a harder code this time. You then lean against the tree, and fall asleep. In the waking world, 20- 30 minutes later

He cracked the code, but didn't use it, since she appeared to be asleep. Instead he leaned against the tree to sleep himself. He can hear her shifting around above him. Suddenly, something soft and silky tickles his face. He opens his eyes.

"What the-"

A teal-blue curtain hung in front of his face, carrying with it a minty scent. He parts it and looks up. She had rolled over and her hair was so long it was hanging down in his face. He tries to tuck it up where it won't fall down, but as soon as he settles back down, it falls again. After several minutes of this he finally gives up, and just goes to sleep, letting the scent wash around him.


	10. Almost

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Almost…**

The morning sun streams into your face. You moan and cover your eyes with your hand.

Why am I outside? Oh right…I fell asleep in the tree…

You look down and see Hiei, still sleeping. You blush slightly when you realize your hair had been in his face all night.

Why didn't he say something? Or wake me up? Didn't that bother him?

You continue to stare at him, trying to puzzle it out. Suddenly he looks up, and you try, in vain, to hide behind the branch.

"Nice try…" He comments, amused.

Too tired to argue, you just shrug.

"Hn. You should cut your hair, or next time I'll do it for you."

You glare at him and jump down from the tree. The scent of bacon and scrambled eggs wafts through the air as you head toward the cafeteria. You are vaguely aware that he is following you. When you reach the cafeteria, you are confronted by Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama.

" Where were you? We thought you had ran off?" Kurama asks, looking like he really had been worried.

Behind him, Yusuke and Kuwabara are staring behind you, and then they start laughing. You wonder what was so funny, but don't turn around. Kurama, too, was staring beyond you. Finally you turn around. The only thing behind you was Hiei, leaning against the wall, trying to act like he wasn't there. You realize that it must look really funny, both of you coming from the same direction, being gone the entire night, they must think…You shake your head slightly, and then walk past them, into the cafeteria, where you run into your mother.

"Oh, hello, Rai! How are you this morning?"

You wince at her cheeriness, and reply

"Fine, Mom."

You grab a plate of bacon and eggs, and head up to your room. You sit on the windowsill, quietly munching the crunchy strips of bacon. You stare out and can see the tree you had just spent the night in. Suddenly, you can see a dark figure cutting it's way through the tall green grass, toward the tree. You wonder vaguely who it is, and, having nothing better to do, jump out of the window the follow them.

Ahead of you

For some reason, Hiei felt drawn back to the tree. Maybe it was just his natural need for solitude, especially after what had happened when they-he-had returned earlier. What with both of you coming from the same direction, being gone the entire night, they must think…he shakes his head slightly.

Like that would happen…

He had reached the tree. On his way up something blue catches his eye. He stops and examines it. It was a hair.

Her hair…Wait, why do I care?

Nevertheless, he pockets it, and keeps climbing. He reaches a comfortable branch, closes his eyes, and tries to sleep. A picture kept flitting in front of him. A figure with long teal blue hair and grey-blue eyes. No matter how many times he pushed it away it kept flitting back. Finally he just gives up, and watches it. Suddenly he gets a strange feeling, like someone was watching him. He probes around and finds, of all people, " Rai. " Then someone taps him on the shoulder.

He opens his eyes, and she's standing right there!

You

He almost falls out of the tree. You try very hard not to laugh, and barely keep it under control. When he straightens out, he glares at you. You try to keep from laughing, but it doesn't exactly work and instead you completely burst out, falling off the branch yourself. Luckily you fall on the branch beneath you, still laughing.

Suddenly the branch cracks and you start falling….

You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for impact on the hard ground. But it never came. To your surprise, someone caught you. You open your eyes, stare in disbelief, then blink. It was Hiei….

You stare in disbelief. He stares back at you. Those crimson eyes that at the beginning had seemed so forbidding, were now holding your attention, more than anything every had in your entire life. The distance between the two of you was diminishing quickly. Your faces were millimeters from each other. Confused, but well…just confused, you don't make any attempt to fight it. Suddenly, you both snapped to your senses, at the same time. Hiei hastily puts you down, and you brush yourself off. You both take off in the direction of the complex, full speed. A few seconds later, you"re standing at your doorway, trying to open the door, but you couldn't grasp it very well, you were trembling so hard. Finally, you manage to get it open. You rush in and collapse on the bed.

Hiei

What happened back there? Hiei didn't know. All the emotions that had been running through his mind confused him. Why did he catch her? Because she was a teammate now. That was easy enough to explain. But why-? That's it. He was taking it to the experts now. He made a slight detour from his way to his room and stopped off at room 371. He knocked on the door. It opened a crack. "Yes?" "We need to talk." The door opened the rest of the way. "About what?" Hiei was slightly embarrassed to ask the fox for help, but he had no idea what else to do. "Something personal." The fox cocks an eyebrow, but invites him in and shuts the door.

Back to you

What…was…that? Why did I- Did I want him- to- ? Did I? Delving deep inside yourself to find the answer, you attempt to slip into a meditative trance. Still nothing. You dig deeper. Nope. Even deeper. N- wait something was here. It was a scene, a memory, It just kept replaying over and over. You blush. It was the very scene you would never have imagined, yet had happened only a few minutes ago. It went a bit further though. What would have happened if the two of you hadn't snapped to your senses. You dig a bit deeper. Now you found what you were looking for- finally an answer. A vaguely familiar voice rang gently with the enigmatic words. _Sometimes the Heart does things for reasons, Reason cannot understand. _You break out of the trance. "Whole lot of help that was." You lay down and try to sleep. As you fall asleep, the memory resurfaced. You wanted to wish it back down to the depths of your soul, but you didn't really want it to go, so you just let it stay there. Then you lost all conscious thought.

Back in Room 371

"_Sometimes the Heart does things for reasons, Reason cannot understand." _ That was what the fox had said. "That was helpful." He muttered on his way back to his room. As he walked past her room, he couldn't resist. He opened the door quietly. He walked in, just like he would if he was going to steal something. She was on the bed. He leaned over. Sleeping. Wondering what she was dreaming about, He carefully entered her mind. She didn't change the lock. That's surprising. He looked at the scene carefully, then turned red. He hurriedly backed out of there and ran, full speed to his room.


	11. Training with Hiei

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Training with Hiei**

You spend the entire day in your room, and you wake up the next morning, refreshed and ready for anything. Well almost. After last night…the only person you couldn't face right now, would be, well Hiei. Still confused you grab a cloak, and dress in your usual, black jeans, black tank top, and black boots. You grab a katana on the way out down to breakfast. Toast and oatmeal. You skip on the oatmeal, and take your toast outside. There was a light breeze, the air was clean and fresh. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Perfect day. You munch on your toast as you wonder absentmindedly where the training ground was. No one had bothered to tell you. You shrug. No matter, I'll find it myself. You needed to do something to keep your mind off what had happened last night. Training was the usual way. You walk over to a map. It seemed that there was a big open field, not too far to your left. If that's not the training ground, too bad, it is now.

You find the field, but it's crowded. You prefer to train in solitude, or with a very close friend, without people watching your every move. You remember a small clearing on the map, so you decide to head there. As you near it, you hear the sounds of someone else training. You climb quietly up a tree.

Dang it! Not close enough!

Rather than climb down and climb another tree, you simply jump to the next one. The branch shakes a little, but holds. There is no other sign of your movement.

Dang it! Still not close enough

You make another jump. This time there's a big noise.

What kind of tree is this? Oh great, it's a gourd tree. Of course it made a huge noise… Lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice when the person stops training. But you notice when it starts up again. You peek out from behind the leaves and see….

"Hiei?"

He was training furiously, slashing like there was no tomorrow. One of the blows hits the tree you were perched on. If you had ever doubted the strength of one blow from him, that doubt dissolved as a severe shaking racked the tree. So severe, you fell out, flat on your back.

Good thing I wasn't too high up… You think absentmindedly.

You open you eyes to see an upside down Hiei staring at you.

"Hn. I thought someone was spying on me. Didn't think it was you though."

"Who else would?" You say, without thinking. Oh, crap…that came out wrong…

He looks at you, amused, but recovers quickly.

"Hn. What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"I was looking for the training ground."

"Well, you passed it on your way here."

"I know. I passed it because I don't like training in front of lots of people. I saw this place, and figured it would be a good spot to train. I didn't know someone else was here. I'll go." You get up and turn to leave.

"Stop."

You obey- though you don't know why.

" I could use a sparring partner."

You turn around, surprised. Was this an invite? If it wasn't, It was the closest thing you would every get to one. You nod. He picks up his your katana. You hadn't even realized it fell off. He doesn't say a word, but tosses it to you.

Takes off cloak

You unsheathe it and get ready to go. He rushes toward you, and you nimbly dodge. Your turn, a strike toward the side, but he blocks it easily, and retaliates. You block it just as easily, and lash out catching him on the side. He doesn't even seem to notice. He charges toward you again. This time, you duck away, and stick your foot out. He trips. You hold your katana to his neck.

"I win."

"Hn. Let me up."

You oblige.

"That was cheating."

"No more than using illusions is."

"Hn."

You look down at his side. It was bleeding really bad.

"That's pretty bad. I didn't mean to cut you that deep. Here, let me help."

You reach into your pocket and pull out some bandages.

"I always carry a few around"

"I know."

"Really? How?"

"I read your mind while you were sleeping the other night."

"Interesting. I guess I'll have to change the lock again." Please let him not have done that last night… "This will be easier if you sit down."

He sat, supporting himself with one arm.

You blush lightly as you say the next part. "And take your shirt off."

He doesn't say anything, but takes it off.

You carefully wrap it, and then tie it off. As you stand up, your katana falls.

You curse quietly, and go to pick it up. But Hiei beat you to it.

"You should really tie this better…"

"Any ideas?"

"One."

He reaches over and wraps the cord around your waist. He pulls it closer to him, bringing you with it. You start blushing, but he's so focused on the task, he doesn't notice. When he finishes tying it, he looks at you.

"That should hold it in place."

"Uh, thanks."

"Hn."

He was still standing right in front of you- cord in hand.

Hiei's head

She was blushing, he could tell. Barely visible, but still there. He wonders if she noticed his slight color change while she was wrapping his wound. The moment she touched it, it felt better instantly. Though he would never admit it to himself, he had enjoyed fighting with her, almost as much as he enjoyed wrapping her katana cord around her waist. She was very surprised; he could feel that too. Why was he still standing here?

Back to you

Why is he still standing there? The thought escaped your barrier, with out you even knowing it, until it was too late. Oh, dear. Hope he didn't pick that up.

He closes his eyes for some reason. Though you wonder why, and really want to ask, you don't. Suddenly his eyes open and he pulls the cord he's still holding so you are in his arms. You stare in disbelief. He leans in. You close your eyes.

DING, DING, DING!

The bell. The lunch bell. You weren't even hungry, but the noise broke the spell-like trance you were in. Hiei lets go of your waist. You sigh and dash off toward the building, Hiei right behind you.


	12. A Little Family History

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei A Little Family History**

Holy cow, it happened again. What are the chances of that? You were standing in line, staring into space.

"Hey! Sandwich or soup? Or both."

You look at the ogre who had spoke. He was red, with yellow horns. You look at the soup. Tomato. The sandwich was corned beef, with Swiss cheese, on sourdough bread.

He picks whatever it is up and plops it on your plate. Red. Red was just the color of the day, wasn't it? Red soup…red ogre…red in the sandwich…red plate…red blood-

Red eyes…

That thought came out of nowhere.

No. No thoughts like that. Focus.

You start to take your food back to your room, when someone places a hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, why don't you eat with us. After all you are part of the team now.

It was Yusuke, and it was not a question, but a statement. You follow him to the table where the rest of the gang was sitting- including Hiei and a few girls you'd never seen before. You try to sit down as far away as possible from them, but he steers you right between a girl with dark brown hair, and a girl with teal hair. The brown haired girl smiles and says "Hello, I'm Keiko Yukimura." You nod. The girl on the other side smiles also, but hers is small, and slightly sad. "Hello, I'm Yukina." You look at her a bit more closely. She looked like a-

Koorime. That's because she is.

Hello, Hiei. Nice of you to pop in.

You glare across the table at him. Then you notice something. You look at Yukina, then back at Hiei. They had the same eyes. Not just shape, but color too. You close your eyes and focus on their spirit energies, first separate, then together, then separate again. Definitely similar- if not the same.

Hiei…You two wouldn't happen to be related, would you?

Across the table, Hiei glared at you.

If you say a thing-

You were starting to laugh. He hurriedly covers your mouth.

The others are a little confused.

" Did we miss something?"

" I think so."

"Anyone other then me get the feeling that she figured out that-"

Yusuke was cut off by Keiko and Kurama, who both shut him up by slamming their hands over his mouth. He kept trying to speak.

"Wat? E divot zay enyting."

Hiei gives you a look.

See what you've started?

I didn't do anything. You"re the one who is covering my mouth. Now move it before I bite it.

He withdraws his hand. You glare at him, and he glares at you.

You glance down at your uneaten food.

"I'm done. See you guys later."

"I believe I will be going as well."

You and Yukina stand up and exit. Hiei follows you both, not even bothering to say anything.

Yusuke and Kurama let go of Kuwabara, who goes back to eating. Yusuke does the same. Kurama quietly excuses himself, and follows.

You walk back to your room, in attempted silence. But Yukina started talking, and soon you were both chatting happily. You had momentarily forgotten the confusion, anger, and out of place feeling of the last few days. You reached her door first.

"This is my room. Good-bye, Rai."

"Bye, Yukina."

You keep walking, until you reach your room. You open the door and walk in, shutting the door behind you. You feel a rush of air, but ignored it. The sunshine was shining through, making the room shine. Resisting the urge to hiss, you close the curtains, making the room perfectly dark. You breathe a sigh of relief, and lay out on the bed. Out of the corner of your eye you see the lighting orb. Then it goes out. You jump up, pulling your katana out.

"Who's there?"

No answer. Someone was in the room, you were sure of it. But striking out blindly would do no good either. But if you could see…

Slowly you make your way to the curtains. You grasped one, and started to pull. Someone else grabbed your wrist, and pulled it away from the curtain. You were more than a little freaked out by this.

"Let go!"

No response.

You try to pull away, but their grip was too strong.

"Let go!"

There is a flash, and the person let's go. Hurriedly, you open the curtains and glance at your "attacker".

"Hiei!"

He was sucking on a finger. You must have shocked him. Right now, you didn't care.

You curse colorfully at him. "What were you doing? I could have killed you! Do you have a death wish?" (Yeah, basically you say all of them at him.)

He wasn't looking at you.

" I needed to explain. So you don't go around with the wrong idea."

"And you needed to scare the crap out of me to do that?"

" No, but it was funny."

"Oh yeah, real hilarious."

"Hn."

You take a few deep breaths. Your temper was going back down now. You didn't feel like you were going to kill him.

"What did you need to explain?"

"About Yukina."

"Yes…"

"She's my sister."

"I expected that, but you"re a fire demon, and she's a Koorime. How the heck-"

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

He sighs.

"On the island of the Koorimes, It is forbidden to mate with anyone who is not also an ice demon. Well, my mother, Hina, mated with the worst possible- a fire demon. I was born, and called The Forbidden Child. Also, Yukina was born, but she turned out whole Koorime. I was rejected by the council of elders, and sentenced to be thrown off the Floating Isle. My mother, however, didn't have the heart to do it herself, so her sympathetic friend, Rui, did it. But before she did, she gave me one of my mother's tear gems. Yukina has one as well. When I returned, my mother had died."

You look down at the ground.

"I don't want your sympathy. I just wanted you to know so you didn't go around with the wrong idea. Might as well tell you- everyone else knows. Except her."

"WHAT!"

"I made a promise I wouldn't tell her."

You stand there shocked. He leaves, without even looking at you.

" And people think I have an attitude problem." You look at the lightning orb. It was covered with a black cloth.

That would be how it went out. You pull the cloth off and study the globe. "Time to figure this out." You pick the orb up and hold it up. It reminded you of a full moon. A full moon…there was one tonight. The number. What about the number. 371.

"I gotta take a walk…"


	13. Mystery Solved

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Mystery Solved**

You actually walked. You wandered among the many corridors, where everyone else in the citadel slept. A few hours later, you were back in the corridor where your room was located. Absentmindedly, you look at the room numbers. 363, 365, 367, 369, 371-371. Could it be- a room number? Was the answer really that simple? You stop and take a step toward the door.

You knocked. No answer. You send a soft breeze through the crack underneath the door. It brought back no sound. You send it again. Nop- Was that a snore? Unable to contain you curiosity any longer, you pull a lock pick out of your pocket and start on the door.

An old trick. Still works. The door slides open. You peek in. The room was very clean, and smelled like roses…

_A few human years ago, 15 to be exact, a thief troupe tried to ransack the village of Mizuho. All the people had rushed underground into their hidey-holes. One young girl, however, hid only long enough to suit up. Grabbing her katana, she slipped out of the hiding place, past her mother, and out into the open air. She came out just in time to hear a little girl scream. Throwing caution to the wind, the young girl whipped across the landscape just in time to pull a little girl to safety as a stream of black fire shot where the girl had been moments before. The originator of the blast was furious. When he came to investigate, he found two girls. One girl was in hysterics, while the other had her sword drawn, and was ready to fight. So they fought. He blocked over and over, but could never get a hit in. They were caught in a stalemate. The battle would have raged on for days if the leader hadn't stepped in and separated them. The girl took a few steps away from them. The little girl she had saved earlier rushed up behind her._

_"Rai…lets go…"_

_The older girl shakes her head._

_"Go back to the bunker, Maemi."_

_"But-"_

_"GO!"_

_The younger child runs off. The older girl tightens her grip on the sword. The leader of the group was a silver fox demon, not much older than the girl herself. He steps forward._

_"The people behind me did not act on my command."_

_"But act they did. And I have no proof what you say is true."_

_"None but my word."_

_"The word of a thief is nothing."_

_He looks hurt._

_"Actually, the word of a thief is worth more than gold. They don't give it very often."_

_The young girl makes no reply._

_"You seem to like to fight."_

_"I fight when I have to."_

_"Whatever. Let's fight. If I win, you have to put up with us for a week, you forgive my group of renegades, and we leave in peace. If I lose, you get to decide what to do with us._

_"That seems like a win-win situation in the long run. Fine."_

_And the fight began. A long whip lashes out toward the girl, and a sharp blade cuts it. Occasionally, one might manage to get a hit in. But not often. Hours later the pair collapse to the ground, both exhausted. All sides agree- draw._

_"So now what do we do? Try again?" Asks the girl._

_"Nope. We compromise. I'm Youko Kurama. And you are?"_

_"Rai Kazemaru."_

_"Okay, so how about we stay in the village for a couple days, and you decide what happens to us, during that time. At the end, we leave, and you forgive us."_

_The young girl is too exhausted to argue, but manages a nod._

_A week later, the village was in full splendor, and thieves were getting ready to leave. All but one. The leader had stopped the girl one last time._

_"Sure you don't want to come with us? We could use someone of your talent."_

_She shakes her head._

_"I am needed here."_

_" Well, I'll be stopping by to check in on you every once in a while. Got to make sure you don't get into trouble."_

_He ruffles he hair and takes off with the rest of the troupe._

_The girl smiles. She'd found a friend for life._

_True to his word, he stopped by occasionally. When word of his death reached her, Rai became cold and reclusive. No one but her closest friends knew the real her._

The flashback ended, leaving you a little dazed.

I thought I sealed that away…Why did this room trigger it? You shake the rest of the daze from your head and step into the room. Not a sound.

Huh…

You walk over to the four-poster bed, pull aside the bed curtains and find a very familiar fox demon on the bed, sleeping like a baby.

"No way!"

Although you tried to be quiet, he woke up anyway, staring round sleepily.

"What? Who?"

Well, no point in being quiet now.

"YOUKO KURAMA! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! YOU JUST DISAPPEARED AND NOW YOU POP UP HERE? WHY COULDN"T YOU HAVE JUST TOLD ME! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO CREEP ME OUT! YOU-"

He puts a hand over your mouth.

"Nice to see you too, Rai."

When you stopped screaming he took his hand away. You start talking again.

Eventually you stop to breathe.

"Are you going to listen now?"

You nod.

"Well, after the last time I left Mizuho, I found something I wanted very badly. Unfortunately, the burglary botched. And I ended up almost dead. I fused my soul with that of a human being born. I take over usually during the full moon."

"So, uh, who are you sharing with?"

He smiles.

"I think you know them." Then he pulls out a rose and begins playing with it, leaving you to think about it.

Rose…Youko Kurama…room smells like roses…someone else smells like roses…

"Kurama?"

Youko nods.

"Yep. Took you long enough. Hiei made the connection almost instantly."

You perk up at Hiei's name.

"Hiei? You know Hiei? I mean, before now?"

He chuckles. "Of course. We even worked together on a few jobs. I never thought of doing was introducing the two of you. I should have though. You seem to get along nicely."

"We do not!"

"Oh yes you do. You can't lie to me."

You open your mouth to speak but shut it. It was useless.

You spend the rest of the day talking and getting to know each other again. You left, positively glowing like you haven't for years. If only Hotaru were here…

You reach your door, but find it locked. You know you hadn't locked it before you left. You take your lock pick out, and slip it into the keyhole. When the door opens, there is no one inside, and the room doesn't look like it's been entered.

Very strange…

You shrug it off. Maybe the lock had slipped. You change into your PJs, a tank top and stretch pants, then curl up under the blankets, relishing in the darkness of the room. I wish I could say you enjoyed a dreamless sleep. But that would be lying…


	14. Surprises Galore

**Katanas on Ice, Hearts on Fire YYH Hiei Surprises Galore**

The next morning, you were awakened by some girl opening the curtains. You moan and roll over. "Come on! It's time to wake up! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and everyone else is eating breakfast!" You moan again. The girl pulls the pillow off your face. The light burns your eyes. You squeeze them shut, and wince. The girl in front of you had baby blue long hair pulled up in a high ponytail and pink eyes, and a HUGE smile.

"HIYA!" She says cheerily.

Oh dear. She's cheerier than my mother…I'm doomed.

The girl keeps smiling.

" Breakfast is over in a 15 minutes, you might want to hurry down or you'll have to go without it all day. And breakfast is the most important meal of the day! You don't want to miss that!"

With that, she left the room. You were severely tempted to roll over and go back to sleep but not wanting her to come back in again, you crawl out of bed. You change into another tank top and a pair of black jeans. You grab your cloak and both of your katanas.

I hope I don't run into that excessively cheery girl again…

Unfortunately, life is filled with hopes, but not all of them are fulfilled. This was one of them. When you got to the cafeteria, the girl was talking happily with Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama (now in human form), and Yukina and Keiko. Hiei was missing.

Wonder where he is…wait, why do I care? I don't! You try to convince yourself. CRAP! The cheery one is coming this way! You look around desperately for somewhere to hide, but as you turn around to run, you bump into, of all people,

Your mother. She smiles at you.

"Oh, Rai, I see you've met your aunt."

My aunt? "No I haven't." You say confused.

"Yes you have. Botan, come over here."

To your horror, the girl from this morning comes over, with another cheery.

"HIYA!"

You stare in horror. This is my AUNT! There is no way I'm even remotely connected to this person!

It shows in your hairstyle.

Hiei, how nice of you to join us. Where are you?

Behind you. Or I was. Now I'm next to Kurama, looking at your horror.

You turn your gaze to him. He was smirking. That made you mad. You wanted to go over and punch him, but Botan, if that was her name, came up and hugged you, bouncing up and down.

"It's been such a long time! Last time I saw you, you were tiny." She finally stops jumping and let's go. You collapse on the ground, dizzy from all the bouncing. Every thing was spinning.

"Whoa…"

Your mother laughs.

"Well, you seem to be surprised…."

"Surprised-" You start angrily.

Stop. Think before you say anything else.

Thank you, Hiei. Now get out of my head.

Hn.

I'll thank you later…in person, after I get rid of the bouncing cheer bomb

A smile spreads across his face, and he leaves your mind.

"Mother, can I speak to you-alone."

Your mother looks at you funny but follows you out.

"Yes, Rai? What is it?"

"This has to be some kind of joke. There is no way, I'm related to that bouncing ball of cheer."

"There's nothing wrong with being cheery."

"Right. But there is something wrong with being that cheery, all the time. Its-Its-Its abnormal."

She frowns.

"Rai darling, There is nothing abnormal about being so happy all the time, why, your father-"

She stops and her body stiffens up. You stiffen as well. She had talked about your father. She never did that.

"Nevermind. But she is the last of your fathers siblings."

"She's from Dad's side of the family?"

"Yes."

"Was he like that?"

She freezes.

"No. But he wasn't like you act either. He- he was different."

The subject was closed.

"Try to be nice, Rai."

"I will…" Try anyway

You walk back into the cafeteria. Everyone else was already eating now. You get a tray and bring you waffles over to the table. Food just wasn't what you wanted right now. Right now you wanted-

Someone tapped you on the shoulder. You turn around and glare at the person. It was Yusuke.

"Hey, Rai. We have a surprise for you."

"I've had enough surprises for one day."

"I think you'll like this one better than finding out that Botan is your aunt."

"I'll pass."

Rai. Trust me. You'll like this one.

How can I trust you when you keep invading my head!

You'll just have to trust me.

No.

Hn. Go, or I'll tell Botan that you own nothing that isn't black.

How would that make me want to go?

She'll go ballistic and take you to the mall.

What's a mall?

Trust me. You wouldn't like it.

There's that phrase again.

Do it, or I'll invoke the contract.

Dang it, Hiei!

Hn.

You glare across the table at him. He's smirking.

Fine. But if I don't like it…

You will.

You still don't believe it.

Let's make a little bet. If you don't like it, I will release you from the contract. But if you do like it, you owe me an apology, and a favor of my choice.

You think for a moment.

" Fine. "

You turn to Yusuke.

"Lets go."

He smiles and walks out the door. The others follow him. All but you and Hiei.

"Well?"

"I'm going…"

You walk slowly out, trudging along. Hiei was following behind you. You reach the entrance to the grounds and everyone stops. You end up running into Kurama, but manage not to fall. You peek around him and the others. Grass. Green grass. Not much else.

"What's so surprising about this?"

Hiei pushes you out onto the grass. You look around and then turn around to face them.

"There's nothing here but-OOF!"

You fall forward, something heavy on your back.

"Ow…that hurts…" You roll over, and the thing jumps off. It's looks like tiny little black kitten. With three tails. Of different colors. And tiny silver wings. And ears twice as big as its head. You scratch behind one of its ears.

"Yuriko? What are you doing here?"

"She came with me." Someone says from behind you.

You turn around standing above you was…

"Hotaru?"

She nods.

You stand up excited. She loses all self-control and hugs you tightly.

"Ack…Hotaru…can't…. breathe…"

She finally lets go.

"Oops…sorry."

You sigh.

"It's okay." Then she starts bouncing around.

"I missed you so much; Maemi was in tears when I came back. She thought you had died, and Yuriko was all depressed. She wouldn't eat very much, only like a bite of food. She didn't sleep very well either. Her tails kept changing colors. Like red, then at one point they turned yellow, and twice they were bright pink. While we were waiting they turned gray. What does that mean?"

You clamp a hand over her mouth.

"Shut it, Hotaru. Before I fill it with something you probably don't want in it."

She stops.

"Thank you."

You turn around to the others, but they were staring at Yuriko. You look at her. She wasn't glowing or anything.

"What's so interesting about my pet?"

Yusuke looks at you in shock.

"Your pet? That is not a pet, that is Spirit Beast."

"And?"

"Spirit Beasts aren't pets."

"This one is. Have a problem with that?"

Kuwabara was just staring at the kitty…When he reaches out to touch it you reach out with one hand and hit his away from her, then go back to bickering with Yusuke, who is convinced that "that "thing" is a "dangerous" animal and shouldn't be treated as a pet.

Riiiight….

Keiko makes an interesting point.

"But, Yusuke, Puu isn't dangerous."

Yusuke gets a look on his face that just screams, 'Holy Cheese on Rye, how could I forget that?' He turns toward her

"Don't bring him-"

Too late. She pulled out a little blue bird-like Spirit Beast, with big floppy ears, and a small tuft of black hair. It did remind you of Yusuke- in a strange sort of way. For the first time in years, you burst out in uncontrolled laughter.

"You"re sitting here yelling about my Spirit Beast, and you've got one too? Of all the ridiculous things in the-"

You can't talk anymore, you"re laughing too hard. Hotaru is rolling around on the ground, she was laughing so hard. Botan, Keiko, and your mother are giggling, Kurama is laughing, and even Hiei was chuckling under his breath. Yuriko starts chattering and her tails turn a purple color. You somehow manage to stop laughing.

"Okay…I needed that…" You notice that Kuwabara wasn't laughing.

Well, duh, he was covered in a thin layer of ice, barely 3 centimeters thick.

"Um…Mom…I did it again."

You mother stops giggling and looks at the frozen Kuwabara.

"Oh, Rai, not again."

She glides over and taps his head.

"It's not my fault! How do we fix it?"

"Normally we would have someone with fire powers come and un-ice him, but there's no one here."

You glance over at Hiei

No…

Hiei… Personally, I like the big lumox frozen

Personally, I think we should leave him frozen.

I know, but that's not an option.

He walks over and hits the frozen dunce over the head. Where the hand made contact a thin flame spread across the surface of the ice, melting it. When it reached his toes it went out. He was staring around blankly.

" What happened?"

What an idiot

Should have left him that way

Oh well he'll come to his senses…eventually

You've only known him, for what, three days?

Five, actually. Six if you count the tournament.

The mention of the tournament stops even your thoughts.

You owe me for fixing you mistake.

What?

You heard me.

You glare at him.

You live to make me miserable, don't you?

No, it's just a perk.

I'm gonna…

You're not going to do anything other than meet me at the training field, at midnight.

You start to argue, but give up. No use arguing, he'd win.

Fine.

After Kuwabara finally came to his senses, or what little he has, everyone went inside. Hotaru's stuff had been moved to the room on the left of yours. This got you wondering how many other people had rooms around you. You look at your door number. 372. Right across the hall to your left was Kurama's room. Across from his was Hotaru's, 370. To your right, you had no idea.

You make a mental note to ask someone. Helping Hotaru settle in would be a chore. Not. She made friends as easily as she breathed. But you went into her room anyway.

It was an insanely bright shade of yellow.

You close your eyes.

The brightness of the room was just too much. Even Hotaru was having issues. She closed the curtain.

"Thank you." You mutter.

There was a dim glow from a lamp in one corner that made it easy enough to see. Every thing else in the room was a nice dark blue.

"Those walls have to go." Hotaru says, and snaps. The walls instantly change to a nice dark color of green.

"That's better."

You nod vigorously. Other than the color scheme, the room was pretty much the same as yours. You lean against the wall. To your surprise, the wall slides up, and you fall into….

...Your room

Very confused, you look around, and back into Hotaru's room. She stared in. "Wow…Secret door! Awesome!"

She comes in and looks around.

"This is so you, Rai. It even smells right."

" I know."

The conversation would have continued, but the lunch bell rang, and the two of you raced toward the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was packed as usual. Between finding Youko alive last night, and having Hotaru here, you were in high spirits. Yuriko's tails were glowing a pleasant shade of blue. But the biggest surprise was yet to come…

After dinner, Yuriko began to look anxious, though her tails were still the same color blue. You pet her down to try to calm yourself down more than anything. What would happen tonight?

Hotaru pokes her head in.

"Hey, we're getting together to play a game, want to come?"

"No, not really…"

She comes in.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Come on Rai!"

"No."

You catch a glimpse of Yukina dragging an unhappy Hiei down the hall.

Poor you…

You"re coming too.

Am not.

Yes, you are. They've got orders.

From who?

Your crazy aunt.

Mentally, you make a face.

You'll be following me…

Will not!

Care to make a bet?

Not really.

Then Hotaru grabs your shoulder and pushes you down the hall.

"You"re coming whether you like it or not."

She pushes you into what is definitely a boy's room. Judging by the color, and the fact that it was Keiko who was sitting on the bed, you were guessing it was Yusuke's. Hotaru plops you down on the ground and sits next to you. Across from you is Hiei.

Told you.

Shut up.

Hn.

Glaring at him, you turn your attention to Botan, who is delighted that everyone is here. Somehow, she'd even dragged the His Royal Babyness into it, too.

This ought to be interesting…

Hopefully they'll settle on a card game…

Instead of?

Instead of Truth or Dare.

Uh…what's that?

You don't want to know…

You shrug. Botan starts to speak.

"All right. Since everyone is here, we can begin. I've asked us all here so we can get to know each other. We're going to this by asking each other questions, and the person will answer them truthfully. If you lie, we get to throw you into the icy cold lake. Kay? Let's play!"

Well it could be worse…

How?

She could actually be able to know when we lie…

Botan asked the first question.

"Rai, how many times have you lost a sword fight?"

"Once."

Hiei raises an eyebrow.

You mean against me?

The death glare you sent his way could have killed a troll. Anyway it was your turn now.

"Kuwabara, have you ever had a date?

"…no. Rai. Do you ever go anywhere without your katanas?"

"No. Koenma, ever wet your pants?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"Well, once, when I was first born."

Everyone laughs.

"Hotaru. Ever beat Rai at anything?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"A race. That's why we came to the tournament in the first place. And some other things occasionally. Yusuke. Ever kissed Keiko?"

Keiko and Yusuke both blush.

"Uh…No?"

"Liar." You say suddenly.

He freaks out. Everyone smirks.

"Yusuke gets thrown in the lake…."

Kuwabara and Botan grab Yusuke's arm and drag him outside. Everyone else follows. They reach a sprawling lake, not far from the clearing where you trained yesterday. They unceremoniously toss him in.

The resulting splash soaked everyone. Yusuke rose to the surface coughing and sputtering.

"I can't believe-"

Then he sees everyone else, almost as wet as he is. He stops yelling and begins to laugh. You glare at him. You don't appreciate getting wet very much. A few muttered words and a wave of your hand and the water around him began to swirl.

"What the –"

The water pulls him under, all except for his head.

"H-h-h-h-hey this isn't funny…"

You wave your hand again and the water spews up like a geyser, with Yusuke bouncing at the top. You have the water let him down. A thoroughly shaken Yusuke crawls out of the water. You laugh quietly under your breath.

Nice.

You spin around at look at Hiei innocently.

I didn't do anything…

He smirks.

I never said you did…

How'd you know?

Your spirit energy flared.

Whatever.

Everyone was heading back to the room. A clock on the outside of the building tells you it's about 9:30. Back in the room, Botan reminds Yusuke it's his turn.

"Right. Hiei. When was the last time you lost a fight."

"Yesterday."

Everyone stares in shock- everyone but you. You simply smirk and look at the ground.

"Hn. Botan. Do you ever shut up?"

Botan glares in response.

" No. Kurama. Who in the room have you met before you joined the team?"

Ooh. Bad question. Here it comes…You close your eyes.

"Uh. Hiei. And Rai."

"WHAT!"

You enter Kurama's head.

They seem surprised.

I know.

Ahhh…I'm relishing in this.

Hiei is just as shocked as the rest of them.

He is?

You open your eyes and look at his face. Yep. That's shock all right. Had you a camera, you would have used it. As it was, you'd never forget that look on his face. You look around at everyone's faces. Yep. Priceless. All of them. You start laughing. When they recover, you are still laughing your head off.

Hotaru hits you upside the head.

You stop laughing.

"Ow."

There was a long moment of silence. Then Botan chirrups happily.

"Well. That was enlightening. Let's leave Yusuke to change out of his wet clothes. Good night, everybody.

Once back in your room you collapse on the bed. Yuriko's tails were bright purple from all the laughter.

That was actually…fun…

Yuriko looks up at you with her emerald eyes.

Don't forget you have a date with the short one…

Thanks, Yuriko. I don't think I can. What time is it?

Almost ten. If you want, you can sleep and I'll wake you up before midnight arrives.

"Thanks." You say aloud. She curls up at your feet and you drift into a peaceful sleep.

Rai…Rai…It's almost midnight. You've got a date, remember?

"It's not a date."

Okay, whatever you want to call it. But you got to go now.

"Okay."

You still haven't moved.

RAI!

You leap up.

"Okay! Okay! I'm up!"

Yuriko is sitting on the bedside table next to the orb. Her tails are yellow with anxiety and annoyance. You drowsily go to the bathroom where you splash the cold water over your face. Drying your face on one of the dark purple towels you notice you look happy. Your skin was glowing with a perfect complexion, and your eyes danced happily. Your hair, however, was a mess. Frowning you run a brush through it. When it was successfully un-messied, you rush out, in a black tank top with thick straps and black jean capris. You tie your hair back loosely in a black scrunchie. Then you grab a cloak and your katanas. Yuriko was waiting at the door.

Good luck.

"Do you think I need it?"

You might.

You scratch behind her ears and dash off toward the training field.

No one was there. You were confused. Then you realize he might have meant the clearing. You start off in that direction. When you arrive, no one was there either.

Okay…

You hear a soft noise behind you. You turn around and it's Hiei. Hanging from a branch.

You jump back. He jumps down.

"Hn." He glances down at your swords.

"You won't be needing those."

"And why not?"

He doesn't answer, but walks off toward the lake. You follow him.

"And why not?" You ask again.

He turns around smirking.

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Your going for a swim…"

"Wha-"

You scream as he pushes you into the frigid waters. You surface, coughing. Hiei is standing on the shore, perfectly dry, smirking. You dive under and swim toward the shore. Then you pop up and grab his ankle pulling him back under with you. You surface, treading water, and watch as he does the same next to you. You start laughing. He dives under. You look down, trying to find him, but you can't see him. Something wraps around your ankle, and pulls you under. You open your eyes and see Hiei, looking at you, smirking his head off.

How's this for a surprise?

I think finding Hotaru was the biggest surprise- you can't top that.

Hn. I think I can.

Really? How?

He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you right to him. He kisses you, his lips barely touching yours, but it was still a kiss. Then you both have to surface for air. You stare in disbelief.

"I-"

He kisses you again, harder this time. Just as you untensed enough to enjoy it, he pulls away and swims toward shore. You follow.

"Well. That certainly was a surprise."

"Told you."

"All right. You win. "

"Hn."

_He goes back to the complex, and you follow. You are soaking wet. You take a shower and collapse on the bed with a warm fuzzy feeling all over._


End file.
